Project goals, constraints, and philosophy

Goals

• Fixed CNC milling machine for aluminum and steel

• Target machining accuracy and repeatability: ≤ 10 µm

• Apartment-compatible operation

• Low airborne noise emission

• Low structure-borne vibration

• High observability of machine state

• Prefer graceful degradation (e.g. feed reduction) over part scrap

Constraints

• Residential building floor load limit: approx. 150-200 kg/m²

• No heavy concrete or mineral-cast bed

• Controlled total machine mass

• No reliance on software for safety-critical functions

• Noise-sensitive environment

• Downtime acceptable; accuracy prioritized over uptime

Design philosophy

• Accuracy and repeatability over brute stiffness

• Geometry and load paths over added mass

• Observability over assumption

• Time-scale separation:

  • fast dynamics (vibration, chatter)

  • slow dynamics (deflection, compliance)

  • supervisory decisions (feed and spindle adaptation)

• Fail-safe by construction

• KISS: complexity only where it provides measurable benefit

Explicit non-goals (current phase)

• Custom servo drives or inverters

• Glass scale feedback

• Active vibration cancellation

• Fully temperature-controlled machine enclosure

• Predictive health monitoring

Documentation scope

Included:

• Design intent

• Architectural decisions

• Subsystem placement and purpose

• Boundaries between mechanical, electrical, control, and safety layers

Excluded:

• CAD geometry

• Manufacturing drawings

• Assembly procedures

• Firmware and software implementation details